Interview | Eliza Davis for Ark Magazine

My October interview with Eliza is up on Ark Magazine, lovelies!

Read your heart out, and enjoy the travel, graphic design, and some pretty inspiring photos xoxo

Random Thought | Passwords

Why is it SO difficult to remember to type my new password in?

This morning, my computer prompted me to update my password - which has got to be one of the most annoying notifications/orders/directions a computer can give first thing in the morning. I'm sort of habit-driven, and this becomes the most clear to me in situations such as these.

Job Love | Trump Your Rivals

I couldn't let today go by without a little nod towards one of the largest political showdowns of the year (obviously Brexit is a strong contender!).

Check out the blog post I wrote for my company's blog.

Happy voting, my American friends :)

Weekend Musings** | Thoughts on Fashion

Nope, no photos yet :p we just got our modem ("router?") in the mail and wi-fi soon to follow, keeping my fingers crossed it's today.

I've been binge reading To Universe with Love because it's amazingly epic, full of good insight, delicious writing and dreamy photographs. It's currently instructing my approach to de-cluttering, minimising my closet, and leveraging online for selling clothes that I clear out.

AND, I'll admit, I'm selling clothes online that were never really mine to begin with....

Review | Energy Yoga in London

You may remember my less-than-perfect experience with yoga in the past.

But a girl's got to move, and I've given up running - for now.

I'm all about seeing my friends, and keeping good connections going with lots of face time, so when my good pal expressed interest in yoga and asked if I was down - of course I immediately said yes! And in all honesty, I've been feeling more stressed, sleep is not as quality as it has been, and giving myself the space and time to relax seemed really important.

We checked out a new studio, Energy Yoga, last week after a random Google search listed the studio in its results.

Interview | Ashley Lam for Ark Magazine

I've started a fun side project with one of my long-time, main squeeze, best friends, Marie. She is the creator and leader over at Ark Magazine, and I'm incredibly excited to be a part of this alternative, online magazine. Follow the link to my September interview with Ashley. Stay tuned for many more interviews with women I find inspiring :)

Weekday Inspiration | Not a Halloween Post

Ola!

Such poor form, yet oddly fitting: October has had just two posts, but at least they were timed on the first and last day of the month.

Life has been a busy blur and I'm so behind on lovely posts for you people. Deep apologies, and a truly confused feeling of how October has already flown by. How was it that a whole month has gone by since my haircut? Or that the weather is still a balmy 17 degrees in London? Or that it's literally Halloween today - something of a big marker for me that the end of the year is coming close.

There are Christmas light festivals starting next weekend. My (completely unoriginal) cat costume is back in it's hiding place. I've officially experienced and survived the mandatory change of seasons cold (despite the weather still being pretty exceptional for London). And loved ones in Canada are experiencing the cold and snow of every Canadian winter. Soon, I'll be on the other side of my first winter away from the homeland, a fact that still surprises me.

Housing changes and life administrative stuff has put me in the position of no wi-fi for another week - and it's already been one week! Surprisingly, I hardly miss the wi-fi. I've been digging into my library books with a vengeance, and am so into the latest book: Kazuo Ishiguro's Hidden Giant. Ok, I'll admit, I haven't read that review I linked to. I'm too paranoid about spoilers or having a reviewer's opinion impact mine or colour my own experience of the book.

I've gone on some trips, and taken hundreds of photos (many of the same thing, in true fashion), and I'm so looking forward to sharing these with you.

I've missed this practice of writing whatever, posting my favourites, and just feeling somewhat connected with the kind strangers who give me their time and attention.

With the end of the year comes a renewed commitment to all the things I love. Work is busy as ever, but there's always a bit more downtime in the winter, largely due to more holidays and poor weather that makes staying indoors even more appealing. And with indoor downtime comes more opportunity for posting and having fun on the Internet.

So please know this: you are cherished, I am grateful, and words can't express my happiness that you're reading this and giving me a little bit of your time.

I'm sorry for the lapse in communication, but so excited for some new things on the way.

Happy Halloween!

Weekend Musings | Autumn Feels

Hi there!

It's October 1, and starting to officially feel like autumn in London. Leaves are on the ground, evenings and mornings are cool. I have yet to smell that warm, fire-y smoke from chimneys yet, but perhaps Londoners burn less fires than Torontonians? There was that big fire, after all...

I'm back from a bunch of traveling, fun and festivities with friends, and can't wait to share them with you! This season is the start of something wonderful, and the recent new moon has me feeling all sorts of good vibes.On the topic of fresh starts, a haircut last weekend has me feeling brand new. I'll admit, it took me the full week to get used to it, haircuts are so weird like that, huh? But now I love it!

There's also been a lingering cold in my body for the last week (another sure sign that autumn is upon us!) and I'm taking it very easy this weekend. I've recently become addicted to Dinner Date, after hearing about it from our trivia presenter last week where we failed horribly despite our unfailing confidence. That is on my agenda for the evening, the perfect combo of cooking shows vs. blind dates.

Many more posts to come, with lots of photos - I promise!

xx

What I Ate | Baba Boom

Whenever a new restaurant opens nearby my home, I feel a sense of optimism like no other. Especially when it's a new place offering brunch.

We stumbled into Baba Boom for a Sunday brunch, after learning that food was 50% off for their opening week - mind you, this was a few weeks ago. Good brunch has been hard to come by in London, and being spoiled with Insomnia benedicts for the better part of 6 years has not made the transition easy. However, I am proud to announce, I think I've found my new favourite spot for brunch in London!

The decor is enough to draw me in, and though simple, the menu certainly caught my eye as I walked by Baba Boom during construction. I ordered their veg breakfast option, a toss up of avocado, eggplant (or aubergine as the Brits say), fried eggs, halloumi and a little spice. Their sauces are delightful and the food was cooked perfectly. I was completely satisfied with the portion size, and even without a discount I would completely agree the food was worth every last pence. Next step is trying their dinner menu - a task I will relish...

Click through for more pics!

  

Photography | Walking to Kentish Town

Fun Things | Drinking in our Neighbourhood

London is a mega city, knitting together many different boroughs/neighbourhoods/sections into a beautiful collection of fun things and cool people. I love my neighbourhood, but am always keen to explore a new 'neck of the woods' as they say (well, as I say...).

When we first arrived, it was a weekly goal of ours to spend at least one weekend day transiting to a new neighbourhood and walking around, soaking in the sights, trying a new restaurant, or having some drinks on our wander. New neighbourhoods like Chelsea, Angel, Putney, Greenwich, and Shoreditch are fun and full of new adventures. However, there are still some places close by us that we can't help but visit on a regular basis.

Pop Brixton lasts all summer and consists of bars, food spots, and some retail, operating out of shipping containers. (All the rumors are true - Londoners love their shipping containers). If you get there early you just may be lucky enough to score a seat and get your food / drink in under 5 minute waiting time.

We Brought Beer is an amazing find, nestled on the high street close to us, and not more than a 7 minute walk from ours. We stumbled upon it, and have been going back ever since for their eclectic collection of craft beers from all over, and their back patio. Sort of a hybrid bar/retailer, this place will sell you beer and then let you drink it in their 'garden'. They also have a rotating selection of draught beers to drink, or fill your growler with. Oh yeah - and they sell chocolate!

Click on for more pictures from our recent neighbourhood adventures!

Weekday Inspiration | Cool Toilets

Toilets can be cool.

I never liked the wold 'toilet' but have learned to use it quite regularly in my lingo, now that I'm living in London. And, perhaps because of this (not really) I've grown a next level of appreciation for cool toilets (or 'washrooms') since.

Here are some pics of my favourite toilets from these last few weeks. One at the ultra adorable Middle Eastern eatery Baba Boom, and one at the infamous Indian restaurant Dishoom. Delicious food, pretty cute toilets too...

Moving to London | Coins

If you live in London, and use cash at least semi-regularly, you will notice just how many coins you accumulate - and quite quickly! We got a fair sized jar to fill with left over coins, and within 4 months it was overflowing. Even with the occasional pound taken out for morning coffees! It was an excellent way to de-clutter and consolidate the leftover coins, but what to do with all that heavy weight money when the jar was full?

A quick google search yielded some excellent tips on what to do with loose British change. A bank here in London, Metro Bank, has these 'magic money machines' in every single branch. You simply take your coins, pour them into the machine, and it will spit out a little receipt with your full balance printed on it. Take that to one of their tellers and you're handed bills to that amount - maybe a few pounds or change back, but still good!

Before you put your money in, you're asked to make a guess at how much you'll have in total. I don't know what the specifics are, but apparently you get a prize if you're estimate falls within 2 pence of the actual amount. Ours was wildly off - in a good way! 38 pounds later, we were laughing all the way to the bank...well, we were already at the bank but you know what I mean....

Weekend Musings | Talking Culture

Happy Sunday!

This has been a topic on my mind since moving here, and I finally have enough thoughts on it to create a 'musings' post. British people speak very differently than Canadian people. I know, duh, right?! Let me expand.

So, both countries speak English. And we already know there are a number of different colloquialisms and accents when comparing Canada and England. But, beyond the different words and the different sounds of same words (e.g. 'tom-a-to' vs. 'to-mah-to'), there is a stark difference in the way people communicate using the English language.

Photography | King's Cross & Canal Walk

What I Ate | A Saturday in Soho

You know those days when you're just a bottom-less pit of hunger, and you spend all your time exploring and looking for good food?

That's how one Saturday started, as I made my way through Soho to have ice cream and ramen, both from new places, both with a certain Japanese twist, and both eaten probably in the wrong order - ice cream and then ramen muahahahah. Both were completely unexpected but very welcome.

First stop, Milk Train, tucked away on a side street in Covent Garden / theatre district area. We stumbled upon this, and after seeing happy customers walking out and photographing their beautiful works of ice cream art, we knew this was one opportunity we just couldn't pass up. I got the matcha and I have to admit it just wasn't really my thing. We didn't get the cotton candy halo, maybe that's where we went wrong?

Second stop, Shoryu Ramen, another completely random choice that we thought of when we saw it's exterior. And that we fully ran into once we noticed the 50% off deal in the window. The ramen was delicious, and any spot that gives you a half peeled head of garlic cloves as a topping will obviously rank highly in my books. I chose the Dracula Tonkutsu and was not disappointed.

Click through for me pictures

Weekend Musings | Beating Jet Lag

It's been almost a month since I arrived back into London from a brief time in Toronto. I was so paranoid about jet lag coming back, and knowing that I was starting a new job on the Wednesday. I got to my flat from Gatwick around 2pm (1400), and had a really productive few hours of cleaning, laundry, unpacking, showering off the airport grime, etc. Then 6pm (1800 :D) hit and I didn't think I could make it much longer. So, I went out for some fresh air. Re-acquaint myself with my beloved neighbourhood, and also wake myself up STAT!

So, there I was, strolling down Northcote Road, the opposite way I usually go when I head out for a walk. And I stumbled upon a little gallery, closed for the day, but featuring some beautiful pieces in their window. I stood for at least 5 minutes, taking in these works and maybe being a bit of a sleep deprived zombie...

I didn't catch the artist's name, nor the names of their works, but I did snap some photos. I love how well articulated the birds are, and the way such unexpected media was used. Old journal pages - this is such a good idea!!

My favourite part is the little glimpse into the artist's life that these works facilitate. I'm a very curious person, even about peoples' mundane happenings. After all, isn't it the mundane on which a well lived life is truly built? There is magic everywhere. My thought for the day...

Weekday Inspiration | My Plants

Our living room is quite bare (still!), so I'm doing my best to freshen and brighten it up a little bit. The perfect accessory? Plants! Let's green it up!